Display easel



Jan, 6, 1925.

R. G. GILMORE DISPLAY EASEL' Filed July 9, 1923 INVENTOR- ATTORNEK Patented Jan. 6, 1925.

NT F l E noY GI erLMoRE, or TAKOIVIA PARK," MARYLAND, nssrenon ro 'rnn E; n; Lonon COMPANY, or COLUMBUS, onto, a-oo'n ronarron or 0310.

DISPLAY E'Asnri.

Teal? re/r0212, it may concern:

' lfie it known that 1, Her G. GILMORE, a citizen of the United States, residin at Takoma Park, county of Montgomery, 'btate of Maryland, have invented certain new'and useful Improvements in Display Easels, of which the following is a specification. j

'This invention relates "to display easels and is adaptable particularly to" the display of photographs, pictures, advertising matter or articles of merchandise.

The primary object of the invention to provide an easel of familiar and well known types with means of animp-roved nature for strengthening the easel in set-up position and maintaining the parts rigid relationship.

A further object of theinv'entioiris to provide supporting meansfor the body of the'easel of such nature'that the-body and parts thereof may be made of cheap and 'relatively'thin paper or card board, and yet the same will possess, when properly set up, suflicient rigidity and stability to hold its shape and position and to hold and sustain the weight of the pictures or objects which it is desired to display.

i A still further object of the invention is to provide an" easel 'of'a collapsible nature,

thereof in proper suclras usually employed in the display of photographs, wherein'the cover or prop and brace 'n'iembers fold upon and enclose the body when incollapsed position, and which cooperate with each other in set up position to support the whole, and wherein the inventive characteristics may be Jemiployed without in any manner changingthe form or general construction Iof any of these parts, or altering their manner of operation, and-yet which materially brace and support the entire easel and maintain the same against readily overturning.

With these objects in view, together With others which will appear as the description proceeds. the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, all as will be described more fully hereinafter, illustrated in the drawings, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a plan view of a conventional form of display easel with the parts thereof extended,

Fig. 2. is a perspective view of the folder or easel as it will appear when folded, and

; Application filed: July 9,

1923."Seri"a1 1%. 656,468.

F 3 is a' similar view of the case]. when set upifor display purposes.

' The folder or easel'whichisemployed in the present instance for tl1'e-pu'rpose of illustrating the invention is one'of familiar type, wherein thereis formed a body por 'memb'er 5-is substantially equal in length to the body portion 4 and is adapted to fold forwardly-over the front face of the body to protect or cover any pictures, photographs. or articles'rthat may be applied to the said body, while the brace member 6 folds inwardly upon the cover member 5 and holds thefolder thus properly collapsed by having its point 9 extended through the opening 10=upon thecover, asshown in Fig.

2. The "outer or free edges of "the brace member Gare inclined'asxshown at 11, to form a substantial point at its tip and to add to the appearance-ofthe'device.

- In carrying out the invent-ion, the'back or cover -member5 of the easel is folded so as to reinforce the same and prevent buckling-or bendingof the back whenv in use,-as frequently happens whenno bracing is employed. This'bracing feature"-is -produced by. bending the back or cover member l0ngitudinally and. causing the wings thus formed to be extended inwardly toward the body, Wherebythe line of fold of each wing constitutes abrace or. reinforcement for the back or prop, and the lower edges of the wings broaden the supporting surface for the prop.

The back, in the present instance, has its lines of scoring disposed at angles toeach other and co-extensive with the back. The score lines 12 start at the lateral edges of the blank at the juncture of the cover or back with the body, and extend in converging relation throughout the length of the back; arriving at the free or supporting edge of the back at points spaced slight distances apart and equal distances from the medial line of the back. The wings thus formed between the score lines and the lateral edges of the back, and indicated at 13, constitute sup-ports and bracing elements for the back.

WVhen the easel is set up for display purposes, the brace 6 is folded under to provide a bottom, and the tip or tongue end 9 thereof is inserted through the cut. or in cision 14 in the cover or back member near the supporting edge of the same but spaced a slight distance above the said supporting edge. The friction of the edges: of the out portion 14 with the tongue will be suflicient to hold these parts together. It will be observed that the brace member 6, due to this construction, is disposed at a slight angle to ahorizontal support upon which the easel will rest, and the lower edges of the back,

indicated at 15, are cut away from the lines of scoring to the outer edges of the back at an angle equal to the angle of inclination of the said brace. By so inclining these edges, it is apparent that when the wings 13 are folded upon their score lines 12, as shown in Fig. 3, the lower edges thereof will rest firmly upon the easel support throughout their entire lengths, whereby torigidly maintain the same in set up position.

The inclining of the score lines 12 causes the wings to be of triangular shape, with the lines of score disposed at an angle to the sides of the back, and the back is thus materially brace-d and reinforced. The wings are bent inwardly until they engage the inclined edges of the brace 6, and the stiffness of the paper or card board of which the body is; formed will be sufficient to maintain the wings in this bent or folded posi tion.

By thus increasing the area of the supporting base of the easel back, greater stability is produced, and by providing angles disposed longitudinally of this back and coextensive therewith comparatively great strength and rigidity of this supporting member is attained. This increased strength of the back insures the same against bending or buckling under weight.

It is apparent that the inventive idea may be carried out in various forms of easels, and easels or supports used for various puras defined by the claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, av body, a cover hinged to said body to prop the same, a brace connecting the body and cover, wings on said cover adapted to fold inwardly and to engage said brace, and the supporting edges of said wings: being cut at such angle as to enable the same to rest throughout their lengths upon a support.

2. In a device of the class described, a

blank scored on parallel lines to provide a body, a cover and a brace, lines of scoring on said cover, said lines beginning at the lateral edges of the blank at the juncture of the cover with the body and extending in converging relation to the free edge of the cover, and the said edge being out at equal angles in opposite directions from the said score lines to the lateral edges of the blank.

3. In a device of the class described, a body, a prop connected at one end to the top portion of the'body and of equal length and breadth with said body, the prop adapted to overlie said body and to have its lateral edges correspond with the lateral edges of said body the said prop'adapted to be bent near its lateral edges upon lines extending from said edges. near the top of the prop to points relatively close to and equal distances each side of the longitudinal center of said prop.

In testimony whereof I hereto afiix my signature.

my G. GILMORE, 

